VMFA(AW)-224 Squadron - The "Bengals" are stationed at MCAS Beaufort, SC and originally flew the venerable A-6E under MAG-14 out of MCAS Cherry Point, NC. The squadron flew the Intruder in Vietnam as well as Desert Storm before transitioning to the F/A-18D 2-seat Hornet.

(The above references cover a vast amount of U.S. Navy History relating to aircraft carriers and Air Wings of which information in this book referenced in the production of Aircraft Carrier Deployments, reflected in Carrier/CVW Deployment Charts.)

Ref. S-[27] - Goodwyn, Wade (25 July 2012). "When The Ship Comes in to Brownsville, Rip It Up". NPR. This fall, the U.S. Navy will contract three Cold War-era aircraft carriers — the USS Forrestal, the USS Saratoga and the USS Constellation — for scrapping. Often called "supercarriers" owing to their massive size, the ships contain nearly 60,000 tons of steel and other metal each. Verified on 6 June 2016.

Ref. R-[21] - Congress of the United States of America, Congressional Budget Office (1987). "Naval Combat Aircraft: Issues and Options". Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. Verified on 6 June 2016.

Ref. R-[22] - USS Ranger Foundation. Archived from the originalapplication to Naval Sea Systems Command proposing the donation of Ranger for use as a museum ship and multipurpose facility, to be located on the Columbia River at Chinook Landing Marine Park in Fairview, Oregon on 2012-04-24. Retrieved 2011-09-28.In September 2010. Verified on 6 June 2016.

Ref. JFK-[24] - Edward Mason (26 November 2009). "Hub floated as possible home for JFK warship". The Boston Herald. Retrieved 26 November 2009. Not Active, Verified on 6 June 2016. Not Active, Verified on 6 June 2016.

Ref. 8-SH - LCDR Gerald Ford, who later became the 38th President of the United States (1974–1977) in uniform, 1945. Ford received his commission as an Ensign in the U.S Naval Reserve on 13 April 1942 and later participated in many actions in the Pacific aboard the fast aircraft carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26). He was eventually released from active duty under honorable conditions in February 1946. President Ford, 93, passed away on 26 December 2006 at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. DOD photo (# 061227-N-0000X-003). NS027805a. Robert M. Cieri http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/027805a.jpg

Ref. 8A-SH - CVN-78 is named after Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. (1913–2006), 38th President of the United States of America (1974–1977). Gerald R. Ford, Jr. became the fourth consecutive President to have served in the US Navy. He was the first vice president in American history to succeed to the nation's highest office because of the resignation of a president, and he was the first person to occupy the White House without being elected either president or vice president. He viewed himself as "a moderate in domestic affairs, a conservative in fiscal affairs, and a dyed-in-the-wool internationalist in foreign affairs." Ford acted vigorously to maintain US power and prestige after the collapse of Cambodia and South Vietnam. Preventing a new war in the Middle East remained a major objective. Detente with the Soviet Union continued. On Inauguration Day his successor, President Carter, began his speech: "For myself and for our Nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land." NS027805. DOD File photo # 061227-D-0000X-001. http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/027805.jpg

Ref. 9-SH - “On 16 January 2007, held the official naming ceremony of the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), the first aircraft carrier in the Ford class of carriers. CVN-78 is named after Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. (1913–2006), 38th President of the United States of America (1974–1977). Remarks by Dr. Donald C. Winter, Secretary of Navy — Naming of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), Pentagon, Arlington, VA, Tuesday, January 16, 2007. NS027807d. Submitted by: Robert M. Cieri.http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/027807d.pdf

Navy Names Newest Carrier After President Ford - WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2007 – With flags around the nation still at half staff in memory of the late President Gerald R. Ford, Vice President Richard B. Cheney called today’s naming of the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier in Ford’s honor an even more fitting tribute because it looks to the future” (Ref. By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service & Story Number: NNS070116-08 - Release Date: 1/16/2007 4:01:00 PM - From the Department of Defense, WASHINGTON (NNS) http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=27323

American taxpayers spend nearly $100 million a year to fund the Congressional Research Service, a "think tank" that provides reports to members of Congress on a variety of topics relevant to current political events. Yet, these reports are not made available to the public in a way that they can be easily obtained. A project of the Center for Democracy & Technology, Open CRS provides citizens’ access to CRS Reports that are already in the public domain and encourages Congress to provide public access to all CRS Reports.

CRS Reports do not become public until a member of Congress releases the report. A number of libraries and non-profit organizations have sought to collect as many of the released reports as possible. Open CRS is a centralized utility that brings together these collections to search. Unfortunately, there is no systematic way to obtain all CRS reports. Because of this, not all reports appear on the Open CRS web site. CDT believes that it would be far preferable for Congress to make available to the public all CRS Reports.

3. For more on naval transformation, see CRS Report RS20851, Naval Transformation, Background and Issues for Congress, by Ronald O'Rourke.

4. The Navy reportedly wanted to start funding the procurement of CVNX-1/CVN-21 through the Navy's research and development account in part because the new technologies to be incorporated into CVNX-1/CVN-21 give it somewhat the character of a research and development activity as opposed to a straight procurement action. The Navy reportedly believed that funding procurement of the ship through the research and development account would permit the Navy to better manage the technical and cost risks involved in developing and building the ship.

Items acquired through research and development accounts are not subject to the full funding policy as traditionally applied to DOD weapon procurement programs. If procured through the research and development account, the Navy would be able, for example, to fund the procurement of CVN-21 using a stream of annual funding increments -- a funding strategy that, when used in funding items procured through DOD procurement accounts, is called incremental funding. Such a strategy would reduce the financial strain that procurement of CVN-21 would place on the Navy budget in any single year.

Congress, however, imposed the full funding policy on DOD in the 1950s in part to end the use of incremental funding in defense procurement, because it was viewed as having disadvantages in terms of reducing DOD budgeting discipline and making the total costs of weapons less visible. For a discussion, see CRS Report RL31404, Defense Procurement: Full Funding Policy -- Background, Issues, and Options for Congress, by Ronald O'Rourke and Stephen Daggett.

070323-N-8544C-097 MAYPORT, Fla. (March 23, 2007) - Distinguished visitors and guests attend the historical decommissioning ceremony of the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67).Kennedy served its country with more than 38 years of service and 18 official deployments. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Susan Cornell (RELEASED) http://www.navy.mil/view_imagex.asp?id=44332&t=1

070116-N-3642E-063 Washington, D.C. (Jan. 16, 2007) - Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV), the Honorable Dr. Donald C. Winter speaks to an audience of 300 during the official naming ceremony of the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), the first aircraft carrier in the Ford class of carriers. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shawn P. Eklund (RELEASED) http://www.navy.mil/view_imagex.asp?id=42110&t=1

The US Navy's programme CVN-21 for the future-generation aircraft carrier programme was previously known as the CVN(X).

Ref. 8-SH - LCDR Gerald Ford, who later became the 38th President of the United States (1974–1977) in uniform, 1945. Ford received his commission as an Ensign in the U.S Naval Reserve on 13 April 1942 and later participated in many actions in the Pacific aboard the fast aircraft carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26). He was eventually released from active duty under honorable conditions in February 1946. President Ford, 93, passed away on 26 December 2006 at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. DOD photo (# 061227-N-0000X-003). NS027805a. Robert M. Cieri http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/027805a.jpg

Ref. 8A-SH - CVN-78 is named after Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. (1913–2006), 38th President of the United States of America (1974–1977). Gerald R. Ford, Jr. became the fourth consecutive President to have served in the US Navy. He was the first vice president in American history to succeed to the nation's highest office because of the resignation of a president, and he was the first person to occupy the White House without being elected either president or vice president. He viewed himself as "a moderate in domestic affairs, a conservative in fiscal affairs, and a dyed-in-the-wool internationalist in foreign affairs." Ford acted vigorously to maintain US power and prestige after the collapse of Cambodia and South Vietnam. Preventing a new war in the Middle East remained a major objective. Detente with the Soviet Union continued. On Inauguration Day his successor, President Carter, began his speech: "For myself and for our Nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land." NS027805. DOD File photo # 061227-D-0000X-001. http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/027805.jpg